Ketogenic Diet For Seizures Explanation

Doing a ketogenic diet for seizures? Diet is usually synonymous with ‘weight loss’. Most people, especially women, go on a diet to remove fat in the body and to have a proportionate body shape.

Most people only know diet, but actually diet can also treat seizures. Here’s the explanation! From a variety of existing dietary methods, there is one method of diet that is popular, namely keto diet. Diet keto is a diet high in fat and low carbohydrates that will bring the body into ketosis conditions.

But did you know that this diet is not to lose weight to regulate seizures? The ketogenic diet for seizures was developed in the early 1920s by the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and John Hopkins University Hospital in Maryland, the USA to deal with seizures in children.

Is It Effective to Regulate Ketogenic Diet for Seizures?

Until now still unknown. How keto diet works in processing seizure disease. Some researchers speculate that ketones in the body have a stabilizing effect on the central nervous system, acidosis associated with ketosis changes in seizure, balance and electrolyte threshold can reduce seizures. In addition, at the level of fat when running this diet has the anti-seizure effect.

Although the work of keto on seizures is still a speculation, in many studies, it has been proven that this diet effectively reduces symptoms of seizures, can even eliminate them. A study of 103 uncontrolled seizure children was 2-16 years and was seen after three months of the highest average seizure decreased (fixed by 50%). While 10-15% of children can be free from symptoms of seizures. Usually, this new diet is applied to children with seizures after the administration of drugs by an unkempt doctor.

Until now keto diet is only recommended for people with seizures who are still children and in adults. This is because the keto diet strict the supervision and the patient must be disciplined with the rules. But there is also research that states that keto diet is equally effective if done in adults with seizures.

Although the keto diet is good for treating seizures, there are still possible side effects that will appear while undergoing this diet. The required side effects, weight did not rise, body tax levels increased, and more fragile than before.

Ketogenic Diet for Seizures Guide

The most important rule in doing ketogenic diet plan is to keep the type of food that goes into your body. The ideal food intake for those who run ketogenic diets is 70% fat + 20% protein + 5% carbo. The amount of protein that comes in your body can be calculated by looking at your weight. The proteins that enter your body should be delivered 1-1.5gr / 1 kg of ideal body weight then you should calculate how your ideal weight first.

Ideally, the incoming cholohydrate is 60 gr/day but if you want to lose more weight you can limit it to 30gr carbo and increase the amount of protein you eat. For fat consumption, you can adjust the amount that has been generated from the ideal amount of protein and carbo.

How to start the keto diet for people with seizures? This keto diet is not recommended to be done alone. Need strict supervision from doctors and parents because it takes the calculation of the right nutrients for children to consume.

Make sure also that parents are convinced that this diet is the best way to treat a child’s seizures, given the possible side effects. Usually, doctors recommend this diet after treatment with drugs do not give any effect. Do keto diet for the first 2 months. If it turns out to be effective, this keto diet can be continued for up to 2 years.

At the start of the diet, the ratio of fats and carbohydrates used is 4: 1 or 3: 1. This ratio may vary by patient, depending on the condition of each body. Healthy people generally need the fat intake of 25-40% of daily calories. But in keto diet for this seizure, fat intake increases up to 80 – 90% of daily calories.

Children will consume more fatty foods than carbohydrate foods such as rice, corn, potatoes, or bread. Children are also usually still taking the anti-convulsant drug (the drug for seizures) when starting keto diet, although its use will decrease from day to day, even to stop.

The food menu usually consists of meat, chicken, fish, eggs, oil, butter, little vegetables and fruits (as a source of carbohydrates). The amount of fat is, of course, four times more than carbohydrates. In addition to reducing carbohydrates, children should also avoid sugar intake. Parents should keep an eye on the amount of food and fluids a child eats at each meal. Here is an example of dietary keto diet that is applied to people with seizures:

Breakfast: At breakfast time, the food menu allowed for children is an omelets, cream, and orange juice.

Lunch: At lunchtime, meals that children can eat more choices than breakfast. At lunchtime, children may consume some of the food choices provided. A meal menu that can be consumed such as a spaghetti with butter and added some grated cheese on top, lettuce with mayonnaise sauce, or orange soda with whipped cream.

Dinner: As dinner time arrives, the child can enjoy a bit of heavy food. Recommended dining menus such as hot dogs, asparagus with butter, lettuce with mayonnaise, or unsweetened ice cream.

Remember, children with seizures should be closely watched. Parents should manage the amount of food consumed by children with strictness. Even if parents need to weigh the food. Prevent children if they want to eat sweet foods such as cakes, candy, even drugs or kinds of toothpaste that will damage the keto diet process in children. Usually, within three months the doctor visits to monitor the condition of the child. ketogenic diet for seizures is the right step to treat child’s seizures and so that children can have a normal life without having to take drugs.